Perfection is not my artistic goal anymore. Embracing the movement of line art and color, my goal now is to share joy and love using my paintings. I work with the line that flows from inspiration to my black pen to the canvas. If it wiggles when it is supposed to be straight, that is something to celebrate. If watercolor or acrylic paint flows out of the space outline for it, that is an opportunity for the expression of more creativity. Sharing joy and love inspired both by bible verses and inspirational quotes is the reason I let my black line flow and add bits of color.

Inspiration comes from the words I hear and the images I see in the world around me, but I do not attempt to reproduce what I see. I look and listen for the joy and positivity that many of us do not notice in our hectic lives. Heavy watercolor paper and canvases serve as the foundation for the black outlines that begin each of my current projects. The resulting image lets me know to add color using acrylic or watercolor paint or both.

When perfection was my goal, the results were a still life or a portrait from older photos created using contoured pencil shading. Following a car accident and Traumatic Brain injury, I was afraid to even attempt what I had been able to do before. It was many years and Phil Hansen’s TED Talk, “Embrace the Shake” along with Tricia Robinson Art’s message of being happy with “wonky beautiful imperfection” that allowed me to create again.

I now embrace creating whimsical art with a message.  Creating brings me joy, and I want to share that joy with others.

Melissa